Comelec raffles off slots in ballot to party-list groups

By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Party-list groups whose names begin with A or 1 will no longer automatically appear ahead of others on the ballot for the 2013 mid-term elections, after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) held a raffle to randomly assign numbers to them.

The number assigned to each party-list group will determine its place on the ballot that voters will shade in the automated elections.

During Friday's raffle, poll commissioners noted how the names of many party-list groups began with either A, AA, AAA, or 1 in an apparent effort to be first in the alphabetical list.

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes called it an "abnormal" practice.

"We believe that what we are doing now is actually to remove the chaos," he said before the raffle.

Brillantes explained that while being ahead in the list doesn't necessarily guarantee victory, it gives some groups undue advantage over others, especially among undecided voters.

"To level the playing field," said Commissioners Rene Sarmiento, chair of the raffle committee, "the committee under Comelec decided to conduct the raffle in an open, transparent, and public atmosphere."

Accredited party-list groups and even those disqualified but managed to get a status quo ante order from the Supreme Court were part of the raffle.

Comelec commissioners took turns in picking numbers for the 136 party-list groups.

However, 13 new and disqualified groups who got a status quo ante order from the SC but do not have a mandatory injunction will be removed from the list.

Brillantes said they were mistakenly included in the raffle.

The numbering will be adjusted, he added. The Comelec will release the final list of party-list groups and their numbers on Monday, January 7.